"Although the .NET vs. Java war is basically over for control of the Windows desktop, where .NET is sure to become the managed language of choice for new Windows desktop applications, there is a new battle brewing. That battle is for the Linux desktop. Now that Java has been open sourced under the GPL, even the most strict of the 'free software only' distributions can start bundling it and integrating it into their Linux distributions out of the box."

*Groan*. Eclipse is a pain, it doesn't provide half the features of Netbeans, unless you go shopping for endless commercial, proprietary plugins.

Eclipse is surviving on its reputation from 2001, when Netbeans used to suck. Since the release of Eclipse, Netbeans has improved dramatically, it has now surpassed Eclipse in terms of features and usability. The dramatic rise of Netbeans (triple digit annual growth in user numbers) should give you a hint about its popularity! I don't want to use Eclipse, I don't like Eclipse, and in 2007 it's primitive compared to Netbeans.